Olympian Gods
The Olympian Gods and Goddesses are the rulers of the world of Ancient Greece in Hercules. They are divine immortals who control the forces of nature. They are related to the older Titans, their ancestors and chief enemies. There are now twelve major deities who rule over the country, the Olympians, all of whom are under the absolute rule of Zeus, god of the sky. They reside high above on Mount Olympus where they discuss affairs related to the mortal world or matters regarding monsters or disorders in nature. The Sons and The Daughters of Cronus and Rhea 'Zeus' Zeus is the King of the Olympian Gods and the father of the legendary hero Hercules. He first appeared in the Disney's 1997 feature film, Hercules. He is a very jolly and easy-going person, but he does know when to get serious. He was voiced by actor Rip Torn in the film. Zeus in Greek mythology, is in many ways different from the Disney version. He frequently cheated on his wife: fathering many immortal and mortal children with Hercules as one of his many sons and most famous. Zeus has two godly sons by his wife Hera: Ares, god of war and Hephaestus, god of the forge. In original mythology, Zeus killed his father Cronus. Zeus was rivals with his brother, Poseidon, who was god of the sea. Zeus is the being that rules with an "iron fist" and a thunder bolt to smite you if you anger him. Zeus prefers to keep things easy going and is often seen with a large smile and a witty remark on things. Aside from this, Zeus is a worthy ruler, wise and extremely fierce when necessary, This quality makes Zeus a respected king with the combination of fun but maturity when needed. He's protective of Hercules as seen throughout the series of Hercules. However, he does have a relatively negative relationship with Hades. Zeus often makes fun of Hades and belittles him with jokes, part of what prompts Hades to attempt to take over Olympus. Zeus does seem to be aware of Hades' attempted overthrows, but apparently seems to forget them relatively quickly. As a god, Zeus possesses the natural powers & abilities of an Olympian god such as: omnipotence, immortality, omnipresence, omniscience, superhuman strength, metamorphosis and teleportation. As the God of the sky, Zeus has control over the weather and is responsible for creating storms. As the King of the Gods and the lord of the sky, Zeus is responsible for ruling the sky. Zeus is the son of the Titan King Cronos. Based on an offhand remark by Zeus, Cronos feared Zeus might one day overthrow him so he tried to eat him. Following mythology, his mother hid him away until Zeus was old enough to challenge his father and banish him. Many eons ago (prior to the movie) Zeus imprisoned the deadly Titans, who threatened to destroy the world, deep beneath the ocean where they would remain for the rest of eternity undisturbed. However, he was unaware that the next planetary alignment would reveal the location of the Titan's prison, and his brother Hades planned to free them by the next alignment so he could use them to help him overthrow Zeus and take over Mount Olympus. During the beginning of the film, Zeus, along with his wife Hera, were celebrating the birth of their newborn son Hercules with their fellow Gods. Soon enough, Zeus brother Hades arrives, and grows worried that the newborn might become a threat to his evil plot. Hades consults the Fates who reveal to him that Hercules will indeed foil his plot. Fearing that possibility, he sends out his servants, Pain and Panic to kidnap Hercules from Zeus' palace and give him an evil formula that will turn him mortal thus allowing them to kill him. However, Hercules fails to drink the last drop and manages to retain his God-like strength allowing him to easily dispatch Pain and Panic. Zeus is devastated by the loss of his son and sends out all the Gods to find Hercules. However, by the time they find him it is too late, as Hercules has already been adopted by a kind and loving mortal couple. Zeus would not interact with his son until his teenage years wherein Hercules sought to find out where he came from by going to the Temple of Zeus. There, the large statue of Zeus is possessed by the real Zeus who proceeds to happily welcome back his long lost son. However, he explains that Hercules cannot go back to Mount Olympus as he has lost his Godhood, and the only way to reclaim it is to become a true hero. Hercules goes off and fights off almost every monster and becomes famous. Soon afterwards, Hercules returns to the Temple of Zeus and tells his father that this is the day he has been waiting for which is rejoining the Gods but Zeus tells his son that being famous isn't the same as being a true hero, and that in order to become a true hero he must look inside his heart. Soon, Hades takes Hercules' strength away from him and unleashes the Titans and captures Zeus and the other Gods and starts to rule Mount Olympus. Hercules (who's gotten his strength back from when Meg saved his life) shows up and frees his father and destroys the Titans. Hades takes Meg's spirit into the river of death but Hercules (who willingly gives up his soul to save Meg) jumps in and rescues her and restores his godhood. After defeating Hades and returning Meg her spirit (to which she returns to life) Hercules is reunited with his parents and is told by Zeus for a true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Hercules tells his parents this is the moment he's been waiting for, but a life without Meg would be empty and that he wishes to stay on Earth with her to which Zeus and his wife agree. Once Hercules and Meg return to Earth, they reunite with Hercules' foster parents and Zeus paints a picture of his son in the stars. Throughout the T.V. series that's between his son's childhood times and adulthood times, Zeus plays a major supporting role. He is the one who insisted Hercules be sent to high school. Often he is found either trying to help Hercules or thwart attempts on his throne by Hades. When Hercules is given a job that Zeus feels is not worthy, he appeals to the Council of Gods to provide him a worthy job. Hades suggests work in the Underworld for Hercules, but Zeus laughs it off which angers Hades. To the surprise and dismay of Apollo, Zeus then decides that Hercules would drive the sun chariot. When Hercules loses the sun, Hades convinces the council of the gods to vote to dethrone Zeus and decide on a new king of Mount Olympus. When the sun is returned, Zeus finds out that Hades was behind the sun's disappearance which drove him to throw an emergency lighting bolt on him'.' Hercules is having trouble dealing with Adonis, so, when he mentions it to his father, Zeus tells him to show him who's in charge. Hercules warns it's not that easy. To prove him wrong, Zeus spends a day as a teenager; at first as a god, then at Hermes' request, as a mortal. While he was very popular as a teen god, as a mortal, Zeus is just like everyone else, subject to humiliation - and also, as Hades learns from the Fates, death. In an attempt to be rid of Zeus once and for all, he sends his troublesome dog Cerberus after Zeus while he's still mortal. Zeus gains his godhood back and defeats Hades, but learns a valuable lesson about how hard it is being mortal - though not before getting back at Adonis. 'Hera' Hera is the Queen of the Gods, and the wife of Zeus from Disney's 1997 film Hercules. In Greek mythology, Hera was known as the Queen of the Gods, wife and sister of Zeus, the King of the Gods. Hera was the goddess of marriage and women. Hera was Hercules's step-mother and his enemy. When Hercules was born, she sent 2 serpents to kill him, but he was found instead playing with them as if they were toys. She also is involved in the origins of the Milky Way when Zeus tricked her into nursing Hercules and she tore him away from her once she recognized who the baby was, severely wounding her. In the 1997 film Hercules, Hera is portrayed as the mother of Hercules. In actual mythology, Hercules' mother was a mortal woman (Zeus, despite being married, had children with numerous other women), and the jealous Hera acted as an antagonist to Hercules (much like Hades in this version). In contrast to this, the Disney version portrays Hera as a loving and kind mother to Hercules. She appears to be somewhat overprotective of him, as evidenced when she objects to her Husband Zeus letting the newborn Hercules play with his thunderbolts. She is voiced by Samantha Eggar. Hera does not seem to be as unfriendly to Hades as the other gods in the series, as shown when she persuaded Zeus to attend Hades' pool party. 'Hades' Main article: Hades 'Poseidon' Poseidon is the Olympian God of the seas and the brother of Zeus and Hades. Despite his small role in the film, he plays a larger role in the animated series. He is voiced by Jason Alexander. In the film, he is present for the party celebrating the arrival of Zeus and Hera's newborn child, Hercules. Eighteen years later, Poseidon and his fellow gods are imprisoned by Hades and the Titans. He and the other gods are freed by Hercules. In the animated series, Poseidon plays a much larger role than in the movie, either by acting as a major part in the plot or by appearing in a cameo. In "Hercules and the River Styx", Poseidon is visited by his youngest brother, Hades, who tries to trick him into using his powers to move the River Styx (a part of Hades' domain) into Greece (a part of Zeus' domain). Such a ploy would place Greece in Hades' control, therefore making him the ruler of Olympus. In exchange, he promises to give Poseidon the city of Athens. In "Hercules and the Son of Poseidon", Poseidon introduces Hercules to his son, Triton (Chris Elliott), a sea prince who wants to go to Prometheus Academy with him. It turns out Triton is somewhat of a nerd, wanting to be like his cousin; he has considerable acrobatic skills but terrible balance and timing, much like Hercules himself, causing him to be a constant source of humiliation. Icarus and Cassandra remind Hercules that he and his cousin are not so different, so he tries to apologize. Unfortunately, having overheard what his cousin thought of him, Triton steals Poseidon's trident and accidentally unleashes a sea monster. The two cousins team up to defeat the monster, and Poseidon arrives to retrieve his trident, not punishing Triton due to Amphitrite intervening. In "Hercules and the Poseidon's Cup Adventure", Poseidon, tired of being forgotten, holds a boating race in his honor with Adonis competing for Thrace against Hercules and Icarus. However, when their star rower Hylas (Rocky Carroll) is injured, the King of Thrace hires Hercules instead, who abandons Icarus. Fortunately, Amphitrite (Leslie Mann), the wife of Poseidon, has taken a special interest in Icarus and helps both him and his father, Daedalus, in completing their boat. At a regala held the night before the race, Hercules declares himself bigger than Poseidon, which causes the sea god to unleash Charybdis, a giant maelstrom sea creature, during the race, which causes both his and Icarus' ships to nearly sink. Rescuing first his friend and then Adonis, Hercules looks on as Icarus wins the Poseidon Cup, being the only one to have truly earned it. 'Demeter' Demeter is the Olympian Goddess of nature. She is very forgiving compared to the other Gods, even if someone hasn't made an offering to her all year she is still willing to forgive them, however she detest those who pose as Gods and take credit for her fruitful bounties. Demeter is also the older sister of Zeus and Hades. In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of agriculture. the goddess of Agriculture. She is mother of Persephone. Summons Nemesis to smite the satyr Pan for his inadequate offerings at her harvest festival and building a temple to himself. She is also seen among the gods congratulating Hercules. In "Hercules and the Pool Party", when Hades decides to throw a party in the underworld in hope of having the Olympian Gods forget who they are, Demeter along with the other Gods attend the pool party and eventually forgets who she is when she swims in the pool of forgetfulness. In "Hercules and the Prometheus Affair", when Hercules frees Prometheus, Demeter along with the other Gods search for Hercules and Prometheus. 'Hestia' Hestia is the Olympian Goddess of the hearth. She is the eldest sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hera. She is from Disney's 1997-98 television series Hercules. She is voiced by Betty White. only making a few appearances, the goddess of Family and the Hearth is seen as a cheery housewife type. She is often seen cooking or marvelling at her own confections... most of which end up being ruined in a comical fashion like when Adonis caused Hercules to crash into her cake. The Sons and The Daughters of Zeus and Hera 'Apollo' Apollo is the Olympian God of the Sun from Disney's 1997 film Hercules and its 1998-99 television series. He is voiced by Keith David . In Greek mythology, Apollo was the god of the sun. The sun was actually a golden chariot that the god Apollo rode across the sky. Moreover, he was the god of oracles, poetry and music and hence the leader of the Muses. He was the twin brother of Artemis, maiden goddess of the moon and the Hunt. In the film, he has a very minor role in which he only appears in minor cameos. In the beginning of the film, he is present for the party celebrating the arrival of Zeus and Hera's newborn child Hercules. Apollo, along with the other deities, was sent to find Hercules, but it was too late as the baby had already been turned into a mortal and was adopted by a mortal family. Eighteen years later, he is seen imprisoned with the other gods after they lost against Hades and the Titans. Luckily he and the other gods are freed by Hercules. *'Hercules and the Apollo Mission': In this episode, Hercules wants a better job for Career Day, so Zeus puts Hercules in charge of Apollo's Sun Chariot, which pulls the Sun through the sky. However, the chariot is stolen by Pain and Panic, and Apollo, believing that Hercules lost it, begins to question Zeus' leadership. *'Hercules and the Pool Party: Apollo is one of the gods that Hades invites to a pool party in an enchanted pool to makes them forget who they are. Also, Hercules easily rangles Apollo's empty chariot which had been going without its driver.'' '''Hermes Hermes is an Olympian God, serving as a royal messenger of the Gods, from the 1997 film, Hercules. In Greek mythology, Hermes was one of the twelve mighty gods who lived atop Mount Olympus. He was the god of shepherds, travelers, merchants, thieves, and all others who lived by their wits. His mother was Maia, a Titan's daughter so Hermes was born in a faraway cave on Mount Cyllene, to escape Hera's wrath. As a newborn babe, he stole twelve of Apollo's cows without leaving a trace. Apollo was angry until Hermes offered him the lyre he had made for the whole herd. Hermes was the merriest of Olympians and was favored by all gods, goddesses, and mortals. He and Apollo became the best of friends and even though Hermes was the god of liars and thieves, he never stole or lied- but he often didn't tell the whole truth. 'Aphrodite' Aphrodite is the Olympian Goddess of love and beauty, voiced by Lisa Kudrow. She is loved and adored by many and she even has her own theme song. Aphrodite takes the form of a slender, beautiful woman of young age with pink skin and very long, blonde hair reaching down to her legs. She wears slight makeup consisting of deep purple eyeliner. She has blue eyes and long eyelashes standing out from the corners of her eyes. Her clothing consists of a purple, single-strapped dress; it consists a heart-shaped brooch on the strap, and a skirt reaching down to her feet with a slit cut at the front just after reaching her thighs. She also wears a pair of golden high heels that match her hair color as well as two ankle bracelets in the same color. Since she is a goddess, she gives off a pink and gold luminescence. The goddess of love is very friendly, calm, and benevolent, but she can also get annoyed at times. She initially acts very refined, but after her introductions tends to fall into a relaxed "valley girl" personality. Her introductions are accompanied by a musical jingle, which everybody, herself included, regards as very tiring. She is established as being romantically involved with Hephaestus, although this is never elaborated on. In the film, she has a very minor role in which she only appears in minor cameos. In the beginning of the film, she is present for the party celebrating the arrival of Zeus and Hera's newborn child Hercules. However, shortly afterwards, Pain and Panic kidnap the child and turn him mortal. She, along with the rest of the gods are sent by Zeus to search for the missing child, only to come up unsuccessful. Eighteen years later, she is seen imprisoned with the other Gods after they lost against Hades and the Titans. Luckily she and the other Gods are freed by Hercules. At the end of the film, after Hercules decides to be a mortal on Earth, Phil attempts to flirt with her, she then passionately kisses him before Hercules pulls him away. In the animated series, she makes numerous appearances and acts as the force behind the plot in quite a few episodes. *'Hercules and the Big Kiss': In this episode, Cassandra foresees herself kissing Icarus so she decides to sell her soul to Hades in order to prevent this. After Hercules hears of this he asks for Aphrodite's help, who proceeds to give him Cupid's bow and arrows to make Cassandra fall in love with Icarus, thus breaking Hades' deal. *'Hercules and the Dream Date': In this episode, Hercules wants a date to the Aphrodesia Dance so he asks Aphrodite to bring his clay sculpture to life. She perfects the sculpture by embodying her Hercules physical and Personality attributes. *'Hercules and the Gorgon': Aphrodite is called on to help Medusa make new friends. 'Hephaestus' 'Ares' 'Artemis' 'Athena' 'Bacchus' 'Eileithyia' 'Hebe' 'Hercules' Main article: Hercules (character)